Chapter 91: A Surge in Cultivation

"Senior, what do you mean I have plenty of time?" Lin Yun asked, a sense of dread creeping in. "Are you saying there's no way out?"

This was, perhaps, his greatest concern. Even if he were sitting on a mountain of gold, if there was no one to trade with, it might as well be a worthless pile of dirt. He had thought he'd met a great master who could guide him to new heights, but now it seemed his hopes had been misplaced.

"A way out?" Ye Chengkong froze, as if trying to recall something from a distant memory.

This guy has no idea how to get out, does he? Lin Yun thought, his heart sinking as he came to his own conclusion.

"There's nothing good out there anyway," Ye Chengkong muttered to himself. "Here, at least, these beasts aren't particularly cunning."

Lin Yun couldn't be sure if Ye Chengkong was trustworthy, so he didn't dare say too much. Fortunately, Ye Chengkong didn't seem interested in asking questions and went back to fiddling with his own things.

After a long while, he looked at Lin Yun. "The exotic beasts here are special breeds that have been enhanced and improved. If you want to survive here, you'll hunt with me from now on."

Having survived in this place for so many years, Ye Chengkong's expertise in this area was beyond question. Although Lin Yun was eager to head to the Chaos Forbidden Land to find an exit, he was more interested in uncovering some of the secrets this man held. This master who had lived here for ages was undeniably powerful.

For the period that followed, Lin Yun stayed by his side, beginning to adapt to the environment of the Ghostly Shadowwood.

"Reverse your grip, don't thrust!" Ye Chengkong called out from a distance, holding a wine gourd with a smile. "Like an uppercut, use the edge of your sword to slice it open!"

Lin Yun's right hand gripped his sword, the muscles in his arm bulging. The Red-Sheathed Mantis that had given him such a headache just a few days ago was now sliced in two at the waist with a single strike. Looking at the twitching insect on the ground, he was shocked. He had underestimated Ye Chengkong's skill. Not only had the man survived here all these years, but he had also grown stronger, honing some truly terrifying killing techniques.

The number of exotic beasts here was staggering, but under Ye Chengkong's guidance, Lin Yun's kill rate increased exponentially. In just a few short days, beasts that should have been incredibly difficult to deal with no longer posed much of a threat to him.

However, Ye Chengkong was not satisfied with his progress.

"If you truly want to go to those other places, you need to become much stronger than you are now," he said with a look of disdain. "As you are, you're not enough. Far from it!"

Seeing his expression, Lin Yun could only redouble his efforts, refining his every movement down to the smallest detail.

Just like that, in the blink of an eye, another half a month passed.

Under Ye Chengkong's hellish training, Lin Yun's physical conditioning was more than ten times tougher than before. His once jade-smooth skin now bore a few fine scars, marks left from the constant battles. They would surely be healed by his body's regenerative abilities soon enough, but they were a testament to his trials. He had to admit, Ye Chengkong's knowledge of these beasts was profound. With his guidance, Lin Yun had completely adapted to life in the jungle.

After countless battles, his Hunyuan Sword Embryo had advanced to the third level. At the same time, his cultivation rose with the tide, reaching the sixth stage of the Origin Sea Realm.

This rate of improvement was astonishingly fast. Of course, it was also thanks to his diet during this period. The beasts here were powerful, but their flesh was also incredibly nourishing and restorative. Coupled with the fact that the spirit Qi in the Ancient Forbidden Land was countless times richer than in the outside world, Lin Yun's training, combined with this dietary therapy, allowed him to achieve twice the results with half the effort. In just ten days, his cultivation had been increasing with each passing day.

The only regret Lin Yun had was that with no one else around, he was unable to plunder any fortuitous opportunities.

Even so, his Azure Origin Sword Style had now completely absorbed the characteristics of the Great River and Myriad Blossoms sword styles. Building upon these three, he had even created the first and second forms of his own Azure Origin Sword Style. Unfortunately, it remained stuck at the peak of the third level, unable to advance further. Nevertheless, its power was far beyond what any ordinary sword style could compare to.

Having merged the two great sword styles, Lin Yun could finally appreciate what the old senior in the Lizhu Grotto-Heaven had told him: To gather the strengths of a hundred schools and merge the great unity of the world into one body!

Both his Azure Origin Sword Style and his Hunyuan Sword Embryo felt as if they had been tailor-made for this philosophy. Before, Lin Yun had been afraid of others discerning his methods. But now, he had no such worries. The soul of the Azure Origin Sword Style was still there, but its form, however, had been molded into something that was uniquely his.

One day, after slaying another two troublesome Red-Sheathed Mantises, Lin Yun stood atop a tree and gazed into the distance. A pillar of black mist rose into the sky, and within it, he could vaguely see flashes of scarlet lightning.

The Chaos Forbidden Land. The most mysterious place in the entire Ancient Forbidden Land.

During this time, Lin Yun had tried more than once to return to the Meta-Realm, but its protective barrier was now gone, and the entrance had vanished completely. He had managed to wheedle some information out of Ye Chengkong. Besides the Chaos Forbidden Land, Ye Chengkong had been to many other places, but he had never found a way out.

Not that he seemed to want to leave. When asked why he was here, he would just give a faint smile and refuse to speak of it. Initially, Lin Yun had suspected Ye Chengkong was some kind of mastermind, and the memory of his terrifying gaze still lingered. But after spending so much time with him, Lin Yun was certain that Ye Chengkong was not a bad person. He simply refused to leave for reasons of his own. Of course, if he did want to leave, Lin Yun doubted anyone in the world could stop him.

"Senior, this junior is preparing to leave," Lin Yun said, looking at Ye Chengkong.

The Grand Tournament of the Spirit Realm was less than a month away. He couldn't afford to stay in the Ancient Forbidden Land any longer. Besides, his cultivation had now advanced and stabilized considerably. If he wanted to improve rapidly again, he would need to find new fortuitous opportunities.

"You're leaving?" Ye Chengkong looked at him, his eyes holding a hint of reluctance. "I knew this day would come, but it's a pity nonetheless. I do not know if that place can truly lead you out of here. But the beasts there are not easy to deal with. Are you confident you can handle it?"

Lin Yun smiled and nodded. If he were the same person who had just arrived, he might not have stood a chance. But now, he was confident he could handle any beast below the eighth stage of the Sky-Soaring Realm without any problem.

Such was the power of a sword cultivator.